Friday, 30 November 2012

Translated via Google Translate (sorry) from the Mistycball Blog. Creator of the Batman game rules

Catwoman - Free Agent"Selina
Kyle, according to several sources of origin, dedicated to theft in some
and in others to be a dominatrix cat lover, is a spectacular character
of the Batman franchise.

Your membership is variable as it is guided more by their own code and interests.

It is a very versatile due to their mobility and ability to climb walls and other scenery elements.

This version is the video game Arkham City, where she is a thief and feels pretty animosity with the Joker.

Apart from stealing power is as great acrobat and can not climb walls as you could expect.

Is armed with his signature whip and retractable claws, but if it gets stolen .... who knows what may end up in their hands.

One of his motivations is money, so a negative point is that it forces you to select an objective:'''' Botin.
(The objectives of the game are selectable by the player at the start
of the game as you will see when you have access to the rules.) "

Thursday, 29 November 2012

Here is the second in my series of Dystopian Legions reviews.
Today I am going to take a look at the-Prussian Empire Starter Set(click pics to view larger)

Packaging
The box for the PE (Prussian Empire) starter set is very nice. On the front you have a contents list and artwork for the Grenadier Sergeant. On the back is a little bit about the PE force and renders of each miniature inside.
The renders are exact copies of the models so you can see all the detail without getting distracted by studio paint jobs trying to make the model look better.

Contents
- 12 Highly detailed pewter and resin miniatures.
I will take a look at these in more detail further down the post. The models make a game ready 100 point force.

- 12 plastic bases.
A selection of 30mm and 40mm bases. One for each mini (obviously)

- Token Sheet
Glossy large sheet of all the tokens you need to play. Just cut out and use.

- Stat Sheet
Stats for all the minis in the box on the front and the back contains the special rules for each known as MARs (Model Assigned Rules)

- 5 Activation Cards
PE logo on one side and blank on the other so you can write each unit you use on them

- 28 Game Cards
A deck of force specific cards, all with Prussina style titles and the log on the back. The main deck is 26 cards with 2 extras that can be swapped in or out.

- Quickplay Rulebook
A full colour 80 page 'quick start' rule book. It isn't the same as your usual 'quick start' book though. These rules contain EVERYTHING you need to play a full game!

There arn't many starter boxes out that give you everything you need to play a game. Not a single thing needs to be added!

Oberst Hahl and PE Lieutenant

Hahl is far right with the Grenadier Sergeant behind

Lieutenant is middle figure. Grenadier Specialist on the left.

Oberst Hahl was once a PE Commander but suffered near fatal injuries facing a Russian force. his body was rebuilt by the PE scientist and he is now 'armed' with a Tesla powered bionic arm and eye. The fist can even throw lightning into opposing units.
The Lieutenants of the army are just as happy to get stuck in as the basic troops. Armed with a Reichsrevolver and Duelling Armour they are a force to be reckoned with.

Oberst Hahl is the left model and the Lieutenant is the right.
The model for Oberst is stunning. Every tiny part has amazing detail.You can see some flash and vents on the model and a large vent on the fist section but none of them cover any detail. The sword will need a small file but as a flat piece it will turn out fine.
The Lieutenant is a much cleaner model. But then is isn't as dynamic. I am not keen on the eagle helm but that is just personal taste.

A closer look at the Lieutenant shows just how clean the model is. Only a ting mould line on the boot to deal with.
Even though I am not keen on one of these two, I cant complain about the detail and quality. The usual amazing Spartan Games standards.

Teutonic Knight Armsmen

These are the models that really called to me in the PE box.
The Teutonic Order is a mysterious section of the PE. Encased in massive suits of armour, these Knights can take on infantry with their inbuilt Maschinergewehr '71 guns and even Ironclads are easy prey with the suits massive crushing power.

I have only shown 1 of the 2 models in the box as both are the same. The arms and head are poseable though so its easy to make them look different.
These models are HUGE! (check the Grenadier pic below) The main body is resin and the add-ons are metal. Every bit is high detail, they have a few vents and tabs but these are simple to remove.

The metal parts are almost totally clear of mould lines but there are some on the resin bodies. These can be easy to get rid of with the back of a hobby knife.

I love the Knights. Everything from the models to the rules. My only problem is the fact there are 2 in the box but you can have 3 in a unit. Spartan may release add on blisters at some point though.

Grenadier sergeant and Specialist
(pics above)

The Sergeant of the Grenadiers is a leader among men. With their units every step of the way.
Grenadier Specialists are armed with the amazingly deadly quad barrel Vierling. Giving even more firepower to the force.

The Sergeant is on the left commanding his unit and the specialist on the right with the quad-barrelled gun slung over his shoulder.
The Specialist is a very nice model. A model 'not' in a fighting pose is nice to see now and then. Clear of flash, vents and mould lines. You could paint him without ANY prep work.
The Sergeant will need a little though. Some flash on the legs and rifle but nothing too bad.
Another couple of stunning models.

Grenadier Infantry Unit

Grenadiers on the left next to the massive Knights

The PE Grenadiers are the core of the force. Civilian soldiers armed with the Mauser-Tesla M69 Rifles. A great ranged weapon armed with an electrified Tesla bayonet on the end.

With basic troops you would expect them to be much more basic than the main characters. Not in the PE!The Grenadiers are just as highly detailed and as good a quality as everything else in the box.
Six different poses is also a great thing. Means you have a full unit with no duplicate models.

The unit has minimal mould line and only a couple of vents. Clean up will be very simple.Price
The box set comes in at £37.50 from The Troll Trader. This might sound like a lot to begin with but look again at the contents. You get a lot for your money.
Very reasonable price in my opinion.

Final Thoughts
I am very impressed with the Prussian Empire starter box. Lots of stuff and some great quality models.
Really looking forward to getting them on the table and taking on the Kingdom of Britannia

As a final score I going to give them - 8 out of 10 Badger Points
This could have been 9 with a 3rd Knight (obviously at a higher price) and 10 with an alternate Lieutenant.

Wednesday, 28 November 2012

I don't usually update on projects and stuff day by day, but the new addition to the Deep Wars Mini Kickstarter deserves to be shared around.

"High Roller Offers: Every Backer at $195 or more gets an additional 4 medium sized (30mm base)
miniatures of their choice.

Every Backer at $285 or more gets an additional 8 medium sized (30mm base)
miniatures of their choice"
This may not sound like much but with the minis being around $10 each it adds up to a lot.
The rewards now stand at-

I decided to check out the Trench Works range to start with as I thought they would fit really well with my Dystopian Legions forces.

Justin very kindly sent over a selection of 30mm and 40mm round lipped (DS) bases to have a play with.

This is how the bases arrive. Much more professional looking than some bases I have used before.
The 30mm comes in sets of 10 and the 40mm in sets of 5.
Lets have a look at the 30mm set to start with.
Shots from 2 different sides of the bases.

My first thought was WOW!
These bases are jam packed full of detail. Everything from corrugated iron to floor planks and even puddles you can fill with water effect.
I couldn't spot any mould remnant like you can sometimes find on resin casts.
The edges of the bases were almost perfect. A quick run over with the back of a craft knife is all they need to be use able.
Another thing to watch out for on resin bases is the bottom of the base itself. Quite often then can be lop sided. But not these! Flat as you can get.

Each base is different and the detail isn't mirrored on them so you can have huge amount of bases without looking the same by just facing your models in different directions on them.
Some of the parts that stand out for me are the puddles, vehicle tracks, iron wall, sandbags and what appears to be some sort of grenade crater.

You can see these more clearly in the painted picture at the top of this post.

Time for the larger size - 40mm.

The quality of the casts in these larger bases was just as good as the small ones. A little bit of raised resin on 1 side of 1 base but that takes seconds to remove with a file.

As you would expect, bigger bases mean more room to play with effects and details.
This set keeps the same feel as the smaller ones with planks, space for puddles, craters and iron walls.
They also add in what looks like some sort of piping or artillery shell casings.

Overall I am very impressed. These will look great on any 1900s war miniatures or for your favourite Steampunk game.
Once I have them on minis and painted up I will be able to give a bit more of an insight.
Expect to see them soon as I get into the Dystopian Legions games.

They met thier target in a matter of hours and within a day they had unlock the first 2 stretch goals!
Since then, the fans have helped unlock another 4 goals! 2 Fortune Hunters, 1 Ancients Mech and a HUGE scenery piece!

These Vents will come in a section with one main vent and a couple of smaller
ones, with deadly tube worms, crabs and other sea life guarding valuable
ether crystals. The main chimney is probably 150mm tall or so, and the size of the base
is about 120-150mm. The smaller chimneys about half that height

With 8 days left on the Deep Wars Mini-Kicker I expect at least 2 or 3 more unlocks before it is over. If not more.
The next couple lined up are -

The Weapon Packs probably the energy and projectile weapons. Most can be modified
versions of the weapons held by figures, but made without hands holding
them. There could be ones with hands also. Some new ones would need to
be sculpted though, like a disruptor blaster and disruptor torpedo.
8 weapons for each force is expected. Maybe more if we are lucky!

This thing is going to be MASSIVE!!!!! I really hope it gets sculpted!

To top off these unlocks, Antimatter Games have also added 2 newly cast models to the range available to ship out in December! The Fortune Hunters Arcane Researcher (top) and Ancients of Alalan Conjourer of the Ethers (middle).If the model is ready in time, they might even be able to add in the Fortune Hunters Big Game Hunter (bottom)

How will this work?
Well.....
Check out the AWESOME WarmaHordes items below. You then have 1 week, until Monday 3rd Dec 3:30PM GMT to place you bid in the comments below.
Please include the item you want and your bid in GBP / UK Pounds.
International bids are welcome and will be shipped at no extra charge.
At the end of the week, the highest bidder for each item wins and will need to pay for the item via Paypal.

Please share this around to as many people as you can and help us raise as much as possible!